Christian pastor attempts to convert tribal Hindu family under the grab of medical treatment
Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India 
22 January, 2023
Case Summary
In Madhya Pradesh's Indore, a pastor of a church attempted to convert a tribal Hindu family under under the garb of medical treatment. According to reports, after giving medicine to a tribal Hindu family in Indore, the pastor told them that their God had not cured them so they should convert to Christianity. The pastor also lured the victim by saying ‘if you convert to Christianity, your children will get many facilities including good education and health care for free’. Based on the victim's complaint, a case was registered at the Kshipra police station against Pastor Resingh, his wife Umli, his son Khemraj, his friend Hakim, his wife Mangali, Man Singh Padada, and his wife Kalibai.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
Predatory Proselytisation is not just limited to threat, harassment, force and violence, but it also has contours of stealth. In several cases, the Hindu victim is exploited to convert, with non-Hindus taking advantage of their poverty. In such cases, the Hindu victim who is suffering financially is offered monetary benefits, including lucrative offers for jobs, health treatment, education, etc, to induce the victim into changing his/her religion. In such cases, the religious identity of the victim and the aim to disenfranchise him from his faith form the heart of the crime. Also, taking advantage of and exploiting an individual’s economic vulnerabilities is widely acknowledged as exploitation, forms of which are often penalised by law. Such cases therefore are considered religiously motivated hate crimes since the victim’s religious identity forms the very heart of the crime itself. In this case, the Christian evangelists were attempting to exploit a specific vulnerability of the victims who were in all likelihood also economically backward. The missionaries exploited the poor victims by promising them cures for their ailments - a cure that they either could not afford or for incurable diseases. Since exploiting vulnerabilities for the explicit purpose of conversion is purely based on animosity towards the victim's faith, this case has been categorised as a religiously motivated hate crime.
Victim Details
Total Victim
3
Deceased
0
Gender
- Male 1
- Female 1
- Third Gender 0
- Unknown 1
Caste
- SC/ST 3
- OBC 0
- General 0
- Unknown 0
Age Group
- Minor 0
- Adult 2
- Senior Citizen 0
- Unknown 1
Case Status
Arrested
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 5 to 10
Perpetrators Gender
both
Sources 
